The PhotoSecrets logo has been modernized to match a new typeface I’ll be using on future guides. The typeface — called “Montserrat” — has a more rounded and friendly look, a larger x-height (the lower-case letters are closer in size to the uppercase ones), and I’ve dispensed with the italics on Secrets.

For over 20 years (since my first PhotoSecrets guide book in 1997), I’ve been using Helvetica Black for the logo typeface. But now that my website and books are using a more modern typeface (Adobe Source Pro) for the body text, I’m changing the titling logo to match. Designed in 1997 by Julieta Ulanovsky, Montserrat is based on “old posters and signs in the traditional neighborhood of Buenos Aires called Montserrat.”

For your safety, PhotoSecrets now uses SSL security. SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer, a form of Transport Layer Security, that allows websites to transfer data over HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol over SSL). All PhotoSecrets webpages are served over HTTPS, which is effectively a secure layer on top of the standard HTTP web protocol. You may see a green padlock in your browser address bar to confirm that the site is secure.

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“HTTPS doesn’t just protect user data, it also ensures that the user is really connecting to the right site and not an imposter one. This is important because setting up a fake version of a website users normally trust is a favorite tactic of hackers and malicious actors. HTTPS also ensures that a malicious third party can’t hijack the connection and insert malware or censor information.”
— Motherboard

What?

“What a security certificate is: When you go to a site that uses HTTPS (connection security), the website’s server uses a certificate to prove the website’s identity to browsers, like Chrome.”
— Google

Why?

Google is pushing for all websites to use HTTPS and is increasingly noting those that do not. Here are the top holdouts:

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently affirmed that copyright law allows photographers to sell photos of people without their permission, as long as the license is for non-commercial use.

In 2001, student athletes Patrick Maloney and Tim Judge helped Catholic University win their first-ever national championship trophy for men’s basketball. But they were not consulted or compensated when T3Media sold non-commercial licenses to photos of their win on the NCAA website, pictured above. Maloney and Judge sued for publicity-rights and unfair competition under California law. However, in Maloney v T3 Media (4/5/17), the district and appeals courts held that the federal Copyright Act preempts the athlete’s claims, and the photographer has the exclusive right to distribute the images.

“[A] photo archive that merely sells reproductions of photos of athletes is not infringing the right of publicity of the pictured athletes. Since the vast majority of athletes (both professional and amateur) do not own copyright in such photos, they have no right to control the mere reproduction and sale of their photos per se.”
— Maloney v T3 Media, 15-55630 (9th Cir. Apr. 5, 2017)

The justices implied that permission is only an issue for commercial use, being use in trade such as on merchandising, or in advertising.

An unrelated photo of an athlete to break this up

Privacy vs Copyright

The ruling came down to a clash of privacy and copyright. The winner was copyright, since it is a federal right and thereby trumps privacy (publicity) which, if it exists, is generally a state right. The justices noted that copyright gives the photographer the exclusive right to distribute photos, without “interference” from people in the photos.

“[A] publicity-right claim is not preempted when it targets non-consensual use of one’s name or likeness on merchandise or in advertising. But when a likeness has been captured in a copyrighted artistic visual work and the work itself is being distributed for personal use, a publicity-right claim interferes with the exclusive rights of the copyright holder, and is preempted by section 301 of the Copyright Act.”
— Maloney v T3 Media, 15-55630 (9th Cir. Apr. 5, 2017)

Some choice quotes

the “core” of the right of publicity is preventing “merchandising [of] a celebrity’s image without that person’s consent”
— Hilton v. Hallmark Cards, 599 F.3d 894, 910 (9th Cir. 2009)

the “core” of the publicity right “is the right not to have one’s identity used in advertising”
— Facenda v. N.F.L. Films, Inc., 542 F.3d 1007, 1031 (3rd Cir. 2008)

Sony says that “their continued growth has vaulted them into the #2 overall position in the U.S. full-frame interchangeable lens camera market” (source, 4/14/17). This is based on research by The NPD Group using dollar numbers for January and February 2017 for what they call the “U.S., Detachable Lens Camera, Full Frame” market. Although not mentioned by name, presumably Nikon is the supplanted company (and presumably Canon is still the #1 overall).

However, there are several caveats that should be noted. The conclusion is based on:

data via Sony (and there’s been no reply by Nikon)

the full-frame market, whereas most cameras are not full-frame. Full-frame means cameras with sensors in the old 35mm size of 36mm x 24mm, which pits mainly the Sony α7R II and α7S II cameras against the Nikon D750 and D810.

two months — which obviously does not a year make — and possibly the two slowest months

dollars rather than units sold, so Sony make have sold less full-frame cameras than Nikon but at higher prices

Meanwhile, over at Flickr, camera usage has been stable for the past year. The rankings are:

Apple

Canon

Samsung

Nikon

Sony

On the plus side, it’s nice to see vigorous competition, and it provides an excuse to show the new $4,500 α9 camera, which I would like someone to give me:

PhotoSecrets now has 60 guides and, to celebrate, I’ve placed them all on a map. Now you can travel the world and virtually visit the best photography locations. Click/tap on the map above to see the full-screen map.

Panoramio — the leading map-based photo-sharing website — is closing down. Over the past eleven years, over 94 million geolocation-tagged photos have been uploaded to Panoramio. After being acuired by Google, those photos are now used in Google Earth, Google Maps, and Google’s new Local Guides community. But the popular map site is sadly going away.

“Today, with photo upload tools in Google Maps and our Local Guides program, we are providing easy ways for you to share your photos with an active and growing community. As such, we’ve decided to move forward with closing down Panoramio.”
— Panoramio/Google, Nov 4, 2016

Panoramio was started by Spanish entrepreneurs Joaquín Cuenca Abela and Eduardo Manchón Aguilar in July 2005. Two years later, in July 2007, Panoramio was acquired by Google for an undisclosed amount, having been a prominent feature on Google Earth and Google Maps.

Google announced the closure back in 2014 “in order to invest our efforts into improving photo-sharing experiences directly inside Google Maps.” The founders won a stay of execution for a few years, but now that time is up.

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Google Trips

Google Trips is a city guides app launched in September 2016 with day plans, reservations, things to do, and download (offline) capability.

“For the top 200 cities in the world, Google Trips shows you a variety of day plans featuring the most popular daily itineraries. We’ve automatically assembled the most popular sights, attractions, and local gems into a full day’s tour — all based on historic visits by other travelers.”
— Google Blog, Sep 19 2016

Launched in Jaunary 2015, Local Guides is a community of contributors to Google. Local Guides replaced City Experts on February 16, 2015.

“Local Guides know local places like no other. Join this community of explorers and share your discoveries with the world on +Google.”
— Google+, Jan 15, 2015

“Local Guides is a global community of explorers sharing their discoveries on Google Maps. Help others find the best spots in town, make new friends, and unlock exclusive benefits along the way.”
— Local Guides

“The Local Guides program, for those unfamiliar, is meant to help Google increase the number of high-quality business reviews on its site by encouraging top reviewers to post more often in exchange for a variety of benefits.”
— Techcrunch, Feb 6, 2015

Field Trip

Precursor to Pokémon Go, Field Trip is an augmented-reality travel guide by Google spin-off Niantic.

“The future of Augmented Reality.”
— The Atlantic

“Field Trip, your guide to the cool, hidden, and unique things in the world around you. Field Trip runs in the background on your phone. When you get close to something interesting, it will notify you. You select the local feeds you like and the information pops up on your phone automatically, as you walk next to those places.”
— Niantic

Google Maps Timeframe

2004: Two Danish brothers, Lars and Jens Eilstrup Rasmussen, develop the basis of Google Maps as a C++ program for Where 2 Technologies in Sydney.